Archive for December, 2005

Do you ever get the feeling that we have much less to do with this whole Christianity thing than we think? There are several places in this chapter that support this feeling:

When Jesus joined the two followers walking to Emmaus, they didn’t even recognize Him:

16 But they didn’t know who he was, because God kept them from recognizing him.

When Jesus was in the home of the two followers:

30 As they sat down to eat, he took a small loaf of bread, asked God’s blessing on it, broke it, then gave it to them. 31Suddenly, their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And at that moment he disappeared!

When Jesus suddenly appeared to all the disciples who had joined together after Jesus’ death, they doubted and couldn’t understand the prophecies in the scriptures concerning His death and resurrection, until:

45Then he opened their minds to understand these many Scriptures.

Occasionally, I get to thinking I have something to do with my knowledge or my understanding of God and all He is and does. But, then I get over it. He is sovreign and in control. He wants us to understand Him and seek Him, but there are times when He simply must intervene.

I’ve read through this many times. I’ve performed this scene in “The Rock & The Rabbi” hundreds of times. I’ve heard many sermons in my 40+ years on this earth. I finally got up the courage to watch “The Passion” a few months ago.

The entire spectrum of emotion goes through my mind each time. But, the bottom line is – if Jesus didn’t come and suffer like He did, where would we be now? As Jesus Himself said, it had to happen this way. He knew it from the beginning (He’s God, remember?). So, no matter what we think of the Jews of that time or what we think of the religious leaders, we must remember we all had a part. Jesus died not only for the sins of those who died before He came to the earth, not only for those alive during His time on earth, but also for those who had yet to be born – including US and our children – and their children, etc.

As I read the chapter this morning, I noticed verse 12:

12 Herod and Pilate, who had been enemies before,became friends that day.

Jesus changes everything. I wonder how many other things changed on that day that are not recorded in our Bible. How many things in the cosmos? How many things in the sea? How many things in Heaven & Hell?